Means for the manufacture of mops



Dec. 4, 1951 P. M. ROGERS MEANS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MOPS 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 21, 1945 INVENTOR. P UL M. ROGER Dec. 4, 1951P. M. ROGERS MEANS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MOPS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FiledDec. 21, 1945 68 o o o 0 a 6 I00 74 30 I4 76 so I20 78 as 90 76 I28 I2425 2 na 18 K g Y A INVENTOR.

P L M ROG FIG. 2 y

Dec. 4, 1951 P. M. ROGERS 2,577,037

MEANS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MOPS Filed Dec. 21, 1945 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 3v I24 0 I I "8 20 I 28 I I 32 I 26 L g as- I z/ A \I/FZRQ Am A I: A \V\I /l\ I8 I I I I I I I I I 2 I I I 4 I I I I I I l I I l l I I I I II I44 I I I 40 I I 'J IN VEN TOR.

PAUL M. R ERS Dec. 4, 1951 ROGERS 2,577,037

MEANS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MOPS Filed Dec. 21, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 4FIG. 4

INVENTOR. 5 PAUL M. ROG 3 Dec. 4, 1951 ROGERS 2,577,037

MEANS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MOPS Filed Deb. 21, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 r1 r H M FIG. 6 FIG. 7

INVENTOR. FIG. 9 PAUL M. ROGERS Patented Dec. 4, 1951 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MOPS Paul M. Rogers, BalboaIsland, Calif.

Application December 21, 1945, Serial No. 636,393 7 Claims. (01. 300-16)The present invention relates to the manufac ture of mops and moreparticularly to a ma chine for the production of navy type mops, thosewhich consist of a bundle of yarns bound permanently to a stick by awrapping which may be either a fibrous cord or a metallic wire.

Heretofore, maps; of this design have, for the most part, been madeentirely by hand, a workman aligning a large number of strands of cottonyarn at the end of a mop stick and then securing the yarns in positionby hand wrapping a binder twine. The present invention makes available amachine for the semi-automatic manufacture of such mops and a few of thenumerous advantages which result may be briefly described.

The most striking change is in the time required for the manufacture ofa mop. This has been out to a fraction of -the period formerly required,since the time necessary to make a mop by hand is reduced from a matterof minutes to one of seconds. It may not be out of place to add thatalthough the time of manufacture is so markedly reduced the quality ofthe product is definitely improved. H H

The chief advantage from a quality standpoint, uniformity, is one whichusually follows when a handmade product is made by machine. In thepresent instance this means that every mop made will be of thesameweight, that the yarns will always be bound to the stick with thecorrect tension so that loosely tied mops are eliminated and that, ingeneral, the human factor is almost entirely eliminated, a highlydesirable point when the product is one which is sold at so low a pricethat the cost of an individual rigorous inspection is prohibitive.

From the subsequent description it will be seen that the yarns arealways handled in groups of several ends and never individually. Thismeans that a low-cost, low grade yarn may be usedsince. if an occasionalstrand is of low strength or, for that matter is completely served, theoperation is not affected.

Still another advantage of the present machine is in the fact that theyarns are always positioned uniformly about the mop stick and are neverbunched on one side as frequently occurs with handmade mops.

Other features and advantages of the present machine will be apparentfrom the following description when used in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which similar reference numerals denote similarparts;

Figure I is an elevation of a mop-making machine incorporating thepresent invention, certain parts having been broken away to reveal theinterior construction.

Figure 2 is a View similar to Figure 1 showing the same machine at anintermediate stage in the manufacturing cycle.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the same machine at afinal stage in the manufacturing cycle.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the wrapping head of the machine.

Figure 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of the wrapping head shownin Figure 4. g

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of the first step in the manufacture ofa mop according to the present method.

Figure '7 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing an intermediate step inthe manufacture of a mop according to the present method.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing thefinal step in themanufacture of a mop according to the present method.

Figure 9 is a detail view, in perspective, of the yarn head and plungershown in Figures 1, 2, and 3.

Figure 10 is an elevation of the cam shown in Figure 5 which controlsthe lay of the binder cord.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Figure 1, themechanism as a whole may be broken down for purposes of description intothree main component parts, a yarn supply mechanism l2, 2. wrappingmechanism l4 and a stick gripping device 16, the entire machine beingmounted upon a suitable platform 18.

Considering first the supply mechanism l2, the yarns used inmanufacturing Navy type mops are, as previously stated, of the cheapergrade.

Inasmuch as the yarnsused in mop-making are limp, and require supportduring all stages of manufacture, they present problems which do notexist in the manufacture of brooms or brushes where fibers, straws, orbristles which are at least semi ri gid are employed. 4 7

As used in the present machine the yarns are supplied in balls, eachball being made up of approximately 25 ends or individual strands.Inasmuch as the number of ends which is required for a complete mopvaries between two hundred and eight hundred it will be obvious thatsome eight to thirty-two balls will be required.

For ease of description and for the sake of clarity in the drawing onlytwo balls of yarn are shown, the supply of cotton being kept within thecans 28. When drawn from the cans the strand of yarn 22 first passesover ring 24, which although it may be changed in position toaccommodate various sizes and weights of mop is immovable during theproduction cycle. The bolts used to attach ring 24 to the supportingcolumns 56 are not shown in this view but their method of application isobvious. The yarn then passes a second ring 25 which is adjustablysecured to plunger 28 and is therefore movable with it. The yarnsterminate in a head 39 which is shown in detail in Figure 9.

Referring to Figure 9 it will be seen that p er 28 is formed of a hollowtube provided with a slot 38 at one extremity and fitted with a collar32 at the opposite end.

Welded to the slotted end of the plunger 28 is a cylinder 34 with a slotwhich is in register with the slot in the plunger tube. It will be seenthat this arrangement forms a s ace which, except for the slottedportion, is annular in shape. The dimensions of this annular space aresuch that it will accommodate all the yarns, when tightly packed, whichare required to make a specific type of mop. The space provided is smallenough so that when all yarns are in position they will slide betweenthe plunger 28 and the cylinder 34 but only upon the application ofconsiderable force.

Referring again to Figure 1, it will be seen that the plunger assemblycomprising tube 28 and yarn head 30 is mounted upon the end of pistonrod 38 connected to piston M which slides within pneumatic cylinder 42.Air is supplied to cylinder 42 through pipe 44 and its flow from asource of supply which is not shown is controlled by valve 46 mountedupon the panel board 48. From this arrangement it will be apparent thatthe operator by manipulation of valve 35 may raise or lower plun er 28together with its accompanying yarnhead 39 and ring 26.

Passing now to the stick gripping mechanism I6 shown in Figure 1 locatedat the upper pa rt of the machine, the stick 52 as purchased is fittedwith a nail 54 which projects slightly from the stick. The clamp asshown is made up of a fixed jaw 56 held securely to the cross bar 53 bya suitable bolt 60 and a second jaw 62 which moves in a direction normalto the center line of the stick 52 and is held in tight contact with thestick by a compression spring 64. Aflixed to the movable iaw 62, is arod 66 which, by the application of force, through the pivoted link 68and the handle will cause the clamp to grip or release moo handle 52. Itmay be noted that the supporting columns 12 are only showndiagrammatically to si plify the drawing.

The third major portion of the machine, the wrapping mechanism, includesa carrying ring M which is mounted so as to be freely rotatable withinguide pulleys provided with anti-frie tion bearings (not shown) andsecured within frame 18. The outer surface of the carrying ring isprovided with a groove 80 adapted to receive a V-belt 82 which is inturn driven by a suitable electric motor 84 mounted upon frame I8 byconventional means and controlled through the Wirmg showndiagrammatically by switch 86.

Supported within the carrying ring M, by flange 88, upon which it rests,is shuttle 90 which 15 Wound With a pply of binder cord 92. (Many of thedetails of the wrapping mechanism are more clearly shown in Figure 5.)

Molfmted Don the top of the carrying ring is a Servmg arm 94 pivotallymounted upon support 96. The function of the serving arm is to controlthe position and lay of the binder: cQ 92 4 and, to accomplish this, theangle of inclination of the serving arm may be varied by the rotation ofcam 98 with which the arm is held in contact by tension spring Hill. Aroller bearing IE2 is provided between the cam and the serving arm tominimize friction.

The mechanism for the rotation of cam 98 comprises shaft Hi4 mountedupon suitable brackets I06 and which is, in turn driven by sector gear[08 from worm gear H0 affixed to capstan H2. The motion of the capstanH2 derives from the binder cord 92 which is snubbed several times aboutit. It will be apparent that since one end of the binder cord isattached to nail 54, which is fixed in position, and since carrying ring14 rotates as a whole about nail 54, that a wrapping of binder cord willbe applied to stick 52 as the carrying ring '14 rotates. It follows thatthe cord required for the wrapping will be drawn from shuttle 9i!causing a relative rotation between it and carrying ring "M. The path ofcord 92 will therefore be from the shuttle; over guide pin lid, aboutcapstan H2, which is driven by the cord, around idler pulley H6 andthence to the serving arm 94 whose vertical position is controlled bythe rotation of the capstan I I2. The function of the capstan and thefactors which control its design will be clarified by the subsequentdescription of th method of operation of the machine.

The only portion of the apparatus which is not included in the yarnsupply mechanism, wrapping mechanism or stick gripping device is themotor driven cut-off saw H8 mounted on column 50 a short distance belowframe 18. This saw, which consists simply of a circular blade I20protected by a guard l22and driven by a conventional electric motor [24which is controlled by switch I26, is mounted on a hinge I23 so that itmay be swung into position to cut the yarns after completion of the mop.

Method of operation The first step in the manufacture of a mop with themachine is to clamp a mop stick 52 between the jaws 56 and 62 of theclamp with a pro jecting nail located near the end of the mop handle andfacing the operator in the position shown in Figure 1. It will of coursebe understood that means should be provided to insure that the positionof the mop stick in the clamp is always the same for if the length ofthe handle projecting below the clamp should vary the mops made will notbe uniform. The next step is to secure the end of the binder cord afterit passes through the serving arm to the projecting nail head. Theoperator then opens valve 46 adz'nit ting compressed air to cylinder 42and forcing piston 40 to the top of the cylinder, When this has beendone the relative position of the parts is that shown in Figure 2. Fromthis drawing it will be seen that the yarn carrying head 30 now coversthe lower end of the mop stick and furthermore that the nail head 54 andthe end of the binder secured to it are not touched by the risingplunger and yarn head because of slot 38. It should not be necessary tomention that the internal diameter of plunger 28 is sufficiently largeto pass over the mop stick 52 without bind- With the yarn carrying head30 in the elevated position shown in Figure 2 the operator with one handgrips the yarns projecting from the head and holds them firmly about themop stick 5;,- l-I e then closes, valve 46 releasing the air pressure incylinder .42 and permitting'the plunger together with ring 26 and yarnhead 30 to drop to its lower position. As previously suggested, theyarns are closely packed within the annular space of the yarn head sothat they are carried upward when the plunger is elevated but, at thesame time, fit loosely enough so that the yarn head and plunger willslide back along the strands when the air pressure is released eventhough the yarns are held at their upper extremity by the operator.

This stage of the process is illustrated in Figure 3. It will be seenthat, in dropping past fixed ring 24, the movable ring 25 has drawn fromcans 20 a length of yarn determined by the distance between the fixedand movable rings. In other words it is this distance which determinesthe length of the strands in the mop; a longer mop resulting if thefixed ring is raised and vice versa.

The yarns may now be bound to the handle.

To understand the subsequent operation of the machine, reference shouldbe had to Figure in the drawings which illustrates on an enlarged scalecam 98 which controls the position of serving arm 94. While one specificdesign of cam is shown it will be obvious of course that many othershapes and therefore many other arrange ments of binding may be used.

The starting point on the cam, A, is in contact with roller I02 onserving arm 94 when the binding operation is commenced. At this pointthe operator begins rotation of carrying ring M by switch 86 whichcontrols driving motor 84. As the carrying ring rotates the serving armwinds the binder cord tightly about the mop yarns which are still heldin position by the operator. As previously described binder cord 92,when drawn from shuttle 90, actuates capstan llZ which in turn causescam 98 to rotate. (The gear train between capstan H2 and cam 98 is soselected that the cam makes one complete rotation during the intervalrequired to complete the binding cycle.)

It will be seen that the radius of the cam, considering spindle hole I39as the center, increases very slightly between points A and B. Thismeans that the point of application of the serving yarn drops veryslowly while it is in contact with this portion of the cam, thusapplying a closely wound binding to initially anchor the mop yarns. Asthe application of the binder continues the radius of the cam betweenpoints B and C increases at a more rapid rate so that the turns of thebinder cord as they approach the end of the mop stick 52 are relativelywidely spaced. The relative position of the yarns 22, binder cord 92,nail 54 and stick 52 at the time when point C on the cam is in contactwith the serving arm is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 6.

It is now desirable to bring the binder cord quickly up the stick againand this is accomplished by rapidly decreasing the radius of the cambetween points C and D. As illustrated in Figure 7 the binder cord atpoint D is halfway between the nail 54 and the end of the mop stick.

When the cam has rotated as far as point D the operator stops therotation of the carrying ring 11 by means of switch 86 and releases theyarns which, up to this point, he has been holding about the mop stickas shown in Figure 3. When released the upper portion of the yarns fallover to cover the under-lying portion of the binder cord which has beenpreviously wound. The machine is once again started and the binder,which is now applied over the outer layer of yarns, serves to tiedownthe second group of yarns firmly upon the underlying strands to forma double thickness. From the contour of the cam it will be seen that theradius decreases during the balance of the cycle, slowly between D and Eand more rapidly from E to F, the end of the operation. This, results ina closely wound outer wrapping of binder cord which securely fastens theyarns into a compact mop head as shown in Figure 8.

When point F on the cam is reached the operator stops motor 84 again bymeans of switch 86 and starts the cut-off saw by means of switch l26.

The saw and motor are then swung under the carrying ring on hinge I28cutting the entire mass of yarns from the mop. The binder cord is thenout between the mop and the serving arm and securely knotted. The looseend of the binder cord may be tucked under the turns which werepreviously applied or, if the mop is intended for severe service, theend may be secured in place by a staple. Finally the mop stick isreleased from the clamp in which it has been held, the mop now beingentirely complete.

Before the operation is repeated the carrying ring is passed through onecomplete revolution which brings the serving arm into contact with pointA on the cam once again. The entire mechanism is once again in thestarting position shown in Figure 1 and the cycle of operations may berepeated.

While a specific embodiment of the present invention has been describedin detail it is to be understood that many modifications andsubstitution of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the invention as defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for making mops which comprises means for holding a mopstick in vertical position, a reciprocable yarn carrying mechanism fordrawing limp yarns from a plurality of yarn containers and placing saidyarns in a predetermined position enclosing an end of said stick, meansfor reciprocating said yarn carrying mechanism in a direction axially ofthe stick toward and away from said end of the stick, means for bindingsaid yarns to said end of the stick, and means for severing the yarns ata predetermined position to form a mop head.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the yarn carrying mechanismdraws the limp yarns from the container when moved away from the end ofthe stick and places the yarns in the predetermined position enclosingthe end of the stick when it is moved toward the end of the stick.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the yarn carrying mechanismcomprises a tubular member having interior cross-sectional dimensionsgreater than the cross-sectional dimensions of said end of the stick,whereby it may receive the end of the stick, and having an annular slotin it adjacent its stick receiving end adapted to receive the limp yarnsand frictionally hold them therein.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the means for reciprocatingthe yarn carrying mechanism comprises a cylinder for receiving fluidunder pressure, a piston in said cylinder and movable therein by fluidunder pressure, and a piston rod carried by said piston and secured tothe yarn carrying mechanism.

5. Apparatus according to claim '1 in which the binding means comprisesa carrying ring relatively rotatable coaxially with respect to saidstick, a shuttle supported thereby and carrying a supply of bindingcord, a serving arm sup ported thereby for guiding the binding cordduring a binding operation, and cam means operated by the motion of thecord during a, binding operation for varying the position of the servingarm during the binding operation.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the central opening of thecarrying ring is adapted to receive the yarn carrying mechanism whensaid mechanism is moved toward the end of the stick.

7. Apparatus of the class described comprising mechanism for holding astick in a vertical position, a vertically reciprocable yarn carryingmechanism for placing yarns in a predetermined position enclosing an endof the stick, a binding mechanism for binding said yarns to said end ofthe stick, and means for severing yarns at a predetermined point to forma mop head, said yarn carrying mechanism taking the form of a generallyannular ring of a size to firmly grip the yarns carried.

PAUL M. ROGERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 222,141 Lipe Dec. 2, 1879 428,873Adams May 27, 1890 842,204 Kehr Jan. 29, 1907 891,744 Stocker June 23,1908 898,019 Stocker Sept. 8, 1908 1,043,397 Capell Nov. 5, 19121,186,810 McChesney June 13, 1916 1,630,187 Kenner May 24, 19271,719,093 Van Veen July 2, 1929

